3 New Year’s Resolutions To Bring Your Small Business Into 2017

Every January we set goals to become the best versions of ourselves. We resolve to eat healthier, get out of debt or start a job we really love. It’s a time to reflect and recalibrate our immediate and long-term focus.

The first of the year is also a great time for small businesses to set goals that will help them become more successful over the next 12 months, and like any good resolution, those goals should be rooted in taking action. Here are three resolutions that could transform your small business in 2017.

Be Found More Easily

How do we find things we need in 2017? We search for them online. Whatever comes up first will immediately grab our attention. With that reality rooted in our minds, small businesses should think long and hard about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Not only does it closely link the information on your site to the key topics of your target audience, but it also gives search engines the critical information they need to place your site in the first page of search results. If you make it easier for people to find your site, you’ll get more traffic. And if you have more traffic, you have a better chance of expanding your business.

Yelena and Tina, the owners of City Owl Press, a small publishing agency in Manhattan, knew they needed to improve their SEO to help their business stand out from competitors. They turned to freelancers on Fiverr, the online marketplace for creative and professional services, to create advertisements and stronger SEO for listings in online search engines. After just a month of addressing their SEO needs, Yelena and Tina increased their mailing list to 1,000 subscribers with more joining every day.

Make Your Online Storefront More Professional

After searching for a service or a business, the next place a consumer finds him or herself is on your website. It may seem obvious, but your website is usually your customers’ first impression of your business, and too many companies don’t leave a good one. Whether a prospective customer is choosing to do business online or simply seeking a brick-and-mortar address, a professional, marketing-oriented design will leave your business converting leads and providing a first-class experience. At first glance, creating a website from scratch or redesigning a website can be overwhelming and expensive, especially if you’re lacking the technical expertise; however, it doesn’t have to be.

The owners of Kicking the Spectrum, a martial arts studio in New York City, knew they needed to redesign their website to expand their business. They turned to online freelancers on Fiverr to overhaul their site for a fraction of the cost of a design firm. The result was a beautifully crafted website that is easy to navigate. Over the next five years, the company is planning to expand substantially and a website that can expand and grow as their business evolves was a major step toward reaching that goal.

Re-Think Your Brand Identity

A great logo is what we use to instantly connect with a business. If you see a black swoosh, you immediately think of Nike. If you see an apple with a bite taken out of it, you think of that Silicon Valley giant that makes computers, tablets and smartphones. A simple, recognizable logo can gain power over time as your company scales.

This is something that One Life Counseling Center recognized when it turned to freelancers to redesign its logo. The Center’s owners wanted to visually express its mission and purpose through a new design concept. Through Fiverr they redesigned the logo for a fraction of the cost of a design firm, with the final product encapturing the peaceful and helpful feel of the Center.

Your own resolutions for 2017 might look similar to the ones above or they might be tailored to your business and its needs. Regardless of what they are, try to remember that your resolutions give you a chance to try something new and set a new goal. In the end, if you make the most of the resources available to you in 2017, you’ll be able to face the new year with confidence.

Aimy Ngo is a Business Development and Market Strategist at Fiverr, the world’s most transacted marketplace for creative and professional services. Her focus is on driving growth through strategic partnerships and market opportunities. Aimy has a background in strategic and innovation consulting for Global 500 and FTSE 100 companies. She is a Mogul Influencer, Education Pioneers Fellow and a rising voice in the areas of entrepreneurship, the gig economy and women in tech.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this guest post are those of the authors alone and do not represent those of CBS Small Business Pulse or the CBS Corporation. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are verified solely by the authors.